This is what we woke up to this morning, May 8, 2009! Talk about crazy weather. Tuesday, we had 70 degrees, yesterday it was 50 and this morning, snow!

Not much has been happening from the normal routine. The past couple of weekends, we have spent close to home. We have visited the Farmer’s Market. It is too early for many fresh vegetables, but there are lots of goodies. Not the best place for someone trying to eat healthy!

Last weekend, we bought bicycles and went for a ride along the Meewasin trail system they have here in Saskatoon. Meewasin means beautiful in Cree. It follows the Saskatchewan River and is indeed beautiful. Now that it is warming up and sunny in the mornings, I enjoy “shuffling” (running/walking)along the trail. Monday, I went 10 miles! I am hoping to do the half-marathon on May 24 here in Saskatoon. We will see…not 100% certain if I will do it as I have a shin splint on my left leg. Really hoping to do it, though.

The birds are arriving with spring. The river is full of Canadian geese, sea gulls and white pelicans! Sometimes, the sea gulls are so noisy, I feel as though I am back in Maine at the ocean. The white pelicans are very interesting. I saw my first flock of white pelicans in 1993 when we lived in New Ulm, Minnesota.

I was so excited when I saw these pelicans at the river one day. I guess they are here from April to October. In the fall, they will migrate to FL, CA, Mexico and even, Guatemala. The orange horn on the bills of these pelicans show that they are breeding and it will fall off after nesting season.

I continue to stay busy with practicing my Spanish and taking guitar lessons. I got a beautiful, new steel string guitar last weekend. Now, if I can just learn to play it. I have to laugh. It seems as though I buy a guitar in each country that I have been in. It began in Greece in 1977. I bought a guitar while there hoping to learn to play. I sold that guitar while over there. Then, in 1981, I bought a guitar in the Dominican Republic….which I did learn to play….a little. I still have that guitar. In Peru, you may remember that I bought another guitar and was taking lessons. Now, here in Canada, I have this new guitar! My two other guitars are classical, this new guitar is acoustic. The difference is the classical has a wider neck and nylon strings. I love the sound of the acoustic guitar and the fact that it the neck is slimmer! Still can’t play all that well, but I do enjoy the process.

Another project I have been working on is my “Pedro Story”. It is the story about my friend, Pedro, whom I met in the Dominican Republic and how 17 years later, I “found” him in New York City. It is such a fun and amazing story, I have decided to write it and hopefully, get it published in a magazine. I am not certain which one to submit it to, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

On the home front, my nephew, Patrick, isn’t going to Afghanistan after all. I don’t know the details but I am so grateful that he isn’t going. There must be a better plan for him than getting shot at in Afghanistan. Patrick’s youngest brother, Nathan, is graduating from high school next month and has received a full scholarship to the University of Maine!! He is going to study Mechanical Engineering….just like his Uncle David!

It is Friday and looks like it will be another quiet weekend….which is fine with me. Sunday is Mother’s Day. For me it is a time to reflect on how grateful and blessed I am to have the special mom that I do. Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and to all mothers who are reading this.